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LP
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VAMPI 354LP
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$28.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 5/8/2026
Ghetto Records was Joe Bataan's way to get over on The Man and out of the 'hood, a bold move by an artist looking for independence and creative control in an industry that had exploited his talents and treated him like chattel. Hatched from desperation yet full of hope, Ghetto Records came crashing down shortly after its inception. The seven albums in the Ghetto discography languished out of print. The Power of Love (1971) by Joe Acosta was one of them. Puerto Rico born Joe Acosta was committed to pursuing a career in salsa and Latin jazz, with piano as his primary instrument. In 1969, Acosta started his first real band, Joe Acosta And His Empresarios, with whom he recorded a self-titled LP. By 1970-71, Acosta was getting more gigs, playing dances three or four nights a week at popular venues. It wasn't long before manager and booking agent Richie Bonilla signed him to his talent agency and secured a contract for Acosta to record The Power of Love on Ghetto Records. The album is about a range of amorous emotions, from obsession to disillusion, new romance to breakups, lust to affection. Though an English-language title and romantic ballads sung in English were a somewhat odd choice for a hard salsa LP from El Barrio, recorded during a period in which Latinos were rediscovering their sociocultural roots, these were conscious creative decisions by Acosta that have stood the test of time. The record is now beloved among both salsa dura fans for the tough up-tempo numbers and with the West Coast lowrider "souldies" crowd for its sweet and slow Latin soul track "I Need Her." Back in the day, the song spent 21 weeks on the Billboard Latin Top 10. While the bulk of the selections allow dancers to get their groove on to tasty piano and guitar solos, percussion workouts, and tough trombone moña mambo sections, one track stands out for being exceptionally short and fast: "Bendita Ilusión," that remains a favorite of salsa dancers today. According to Acosta, the success of "I Need Her" encouraged Fania Records' Jerry Masucci to come knocking but, since the bandleader was already under contract to Ghetto, and Febo didn't agree to a buyout, nothing happened. Vampisoul is now reissuing The Power of Love once again thanks to a collaboration with Now-Again Records. This release includes an insert with liner notes.
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LP
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NA 5232LP
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"Now-Again Records presents catalog-wide reissues of Latin music propellant Joe Bataan's legendary Ghetto Records. Next up in the series -- Puerto Rico-born pianist Joe Acosta had a long, if unsung career in Latin music, but his Ghetto Records LP is his best and most sought-after album. It's easy to see why -- deep trombones, fantastic piano solos, great salsa alongside a couple of Latin soul gems make for a heady mix that embodies the Salsoul -- salsa meets soul - movement kickstarted by Joe Bataan. Ghetto Records was Joe Bataan's way to get over on 'The Man' and out of the 'hood, a bold move by an artist looking for independence and creative control in an industry that had exploited his talents and treated him like chattel. As Bataan puts it today, 'Ghetto Records was part of my journey, a stepping stone to everything else that I've done. I learned enough that it enabled me to get out of the box with my thinking, it showed me how to deal with adversity.' Like many dreams and schemes born of the street, this one was audacious, perhaps even reckless to a fault. Hatched from desperation yet full of hope Ghetto Records came crashing down shortly after its inception. The seven albums in its discography languished out of print -- until now. These are the definitive reissues of these albums, licensed from Joe Bataan, with his oversight and input into a 16-page oversize book by Pablo Yglesias that details Bataan's larger-than-imagination life and his little Latin label that could."
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